Flush-valve ball.



E. E. WALLDREN.

PLUSH VALVE BALL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

1,003,555. Patented Sept. 19,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Zdzkardfl 77521 1 2v COLUMBIA- PLANOGRAFH mu WASHlNGTOi, D. C.

E. 1:. WA-LLDREN. PLUSH VALVE BALL.

.APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909. 1,003,555. Patented Sept. 19,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6 H H a /7 20 1 22 66666, jaw/6721a?" COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPHCO..WAs1nNu'r0N. D. c.

UNTTED STATE PATENT @TTTCE.

EDWARD E. WALLDREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLUSH-VALVE BALL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. Wain DREN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Flush-Valve Balls, ofwhich thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to escape-valves usually employed in connectionwith flush tanks and its particular object is to provide a valve-ballthat is constructed partially of rubber and partially of metal, thelatter for the purpose of strength and stability and the former for thepurpose of making a positive closure of the valve-seat.

Many escape valves now on the market are made with a hollow rubber ballclosure with especially constructed means in the upper portion to whichthe usual guide-rod is secured. Often these rubber balls collapse owingto the pressure of the water and take a set that causes the flush toleak. When this occurs, it is impossible to absolutely close the valveuntil the ball has been replaced. Another objection has been that theconnections between the guide-rod and ball cannot be made tight enoughto prevent the slime that usually accumulates in fiush-tai'iks fromseeping through said connection and. accumulating in the ball thuscausing rapid deterioration of the rubber. I overcome these objectionsby constructing only the lower portion of my valve ball of rubber whilethe upper portion is formed of metal, and by novel construction I makethese two parts water-tight. Also, in order to prevent the collapse ofthe rubber portion of the ball, I place a rigid column axially withinthe same and secure it either to the upper or the lower section andindependent of the other section. This I accomplish by the means and inthe manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved escapevalve ball showing the same seated upon the upper end of a flush-pipe,the latter being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectionof the valve ball, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentarytransaxial section taken on dotted line 3, 3, Fig. 2, illustrating thevent duct in the bottom of the ball and lower end of the retainingcolumn. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed June 26, 1909.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Serial No. 504,470.

a valve ball showing a slightly modified construction. Fig. 5 is avertical side elevation of a modified means for lockin g the twosections of the escape valve ball together. Fig. 6 is a vertical frontelevation, partly broken auiy of still another modified means forsecuring the sections of the valve ball together. Fig. 7 is afragmentary central vertical section of the lower portion of amodification of the vent openings and column.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the end portion of a suitableflush-pipe the upper edge of which extends a slight dis tance above thebottom of a flush tank and the upper circtunferential edge of which ispreferably beveled or countersunk to form a seat for the valve ball.This valve ball preferably comprises two substantially hemispheri allsections 2 and 3, the latter of which is rigid and preferably made ofmetal while the former is flexible and made of soft rubber molded to fitsnugly upon its seat on the flush-pipe 1. In order that these twosections of the valve ball may be tightly joined together, the uppercircumferential edge of the flexible lower portion is provided with alateral projection or lip at that is adapted to be engaged by and seatedupon the inwardly projecting fiange of an annulus or ring 5. Said ringis preferably interiorly screw-threaded, and is adapted to be screwedonto the threaded surface of an annular embossment 6 on metal section 3of the ball, thus clamping the two sections of the ball together. Inorder to make a water tight connection at this point, I provide theinside engaging edge of one of the sections (preferably the upper) witha rib 7, and the corresponding portion of the opposite section(preferably the lower) I provide with a recess or groove 8 so that whenthe sections are clamped together by ring 5 the rib and recess will forma seal. Mounted within the ball is a suitable rigid vertical column 9that depends axially from preferably the upper rigid section 3 and iseither separate or formed in one piece therewith. The lower end of thiscolumn that is adapted to contact with the interior surface of theflexible section is provided with an enlarged head 10 having a convexexterior surface. It is essential that an air vent 11 should be providedin the lower section of the ball within the radius of the drawn pipe inorder to permit of the ingress and egress of air when the valve isunseated. The head is therefore provided with a suitable transaxialgroove 12 cut in its convex surface and in such position as to cross thevent opening 11. Suitable lateral branches of this groove 12 may also becut through the head so as to give ample vent. Mounted in and extendingabove the tapered end of the upper section 2 of the ball is a suitableguide-rod 13 that is adapted to slide longitudinally in a verticalbearing in the end of a bracket projecting laterally inward from one ofthe walls of the tank.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, I dispense with the annularembossment 6 on the upper section 3 of the ball and in lieu thereof thescrew-threads are cut flush with the outer surface of this section. Thegroove 8 and the rib 7 forming the seal and the annular clamping ring 5,together with the column 9 and the guide rod 18, are of the sameconstruction as in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

I have shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings a valve ball the construction ofthe clamping means of which is substantially the reverse of that abovedescribed in connection with Fig. 4 in that the clamping ring or annulusis inside the. ball. In this modification the lower circumferential edgeof the upper section 3 of the ball has screw-threads 18 upon its innersurface and has a downwardly projecting rib 15 on the outer cornerthereof, and the clamping ring or annulus 19 is screw-threadedexteriorly. This ring has an outwardly projecting flange 20 on its loweredge over which the inwardlyprojecting flange 21 of the flexible section2 of the ball is adapted to be stretched. Said flexible section has arecess 16 on its outer edge to receive the rib 15 while the inner edgeof its flange 21 is preferably extended downwardly as shown at 22 to beseated in a groove 23 on the ring. This construction insures the sealingof the connec tio-ns. Sutlicient purchase can be obtained on the ringfrom theoutside to screw the same into place and clamp the flange 21against the lower edge of the upper rigid portion 8 of the ball.

Fig. 5 shows (in dotted lines) a quickopening clamp for the ring andball wherein the screw-threads are omitted from the outstandingembossment of the upper section and the interior of the ring, and inlieu thereof suitable oppositely inclined wedges or cam surfaces 2 1 and25, respectively, are provided so that the ring need only be turned acomparatively short distance to lock or unlock the parts of the ball.The other portions of this particular valve ball are identical with thecorresponding parts in the preferred form mentioned above.

lVhile I have shown and described the rigid retaining column to besecured to and depending from the upper rigid section 3 of the ball itof course will be understood that the same may be mounted in the lowerflexible section 2 as shown in detail in Fig. 7 of the drawings. In thisinstance the head 26 of said column is molded into the rubber at thelowermost point in the flexible section with its vertical portion 27projecting axially upward so that its top is adapted to engage thecentral portion or dome of the rigid section, vent holes 28 are boredthrough the head and incasing rubber for the purposes hereinbeforementioned.

hat I claim as new is 1. An escape valve ball comprising a rigid uppersection, a flexible lower section, and a vertical column secured to saidrigid section and arranged axially within said ball, and having anenlarged head at its lower end through which a vent opening passes.

2. An escape valve ball comprising a rigid upper section, a flexiblelower section, and a vertical column secured to said rigid section andextending axially toward and engaging but disconnected from the oppositesection, and having an enlarged head at its lower end, through which avent opening passes.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of June,1909.

EDWARD E. VVALLDREN.

Witnesses THOMAS J. HARPER, E. K. LUNDY.

Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

